Trousers presser and hanger.



A. E. RICE.

TROUSERS PRESSER AND HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. I916.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

QRLd E. Rm:

ARLO E. RICE, OF SHEFFIELD, IOWA.

'rnousnns PRESSER AND HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14., 191s.

Application filed January 3, 1916. Serial no. 69,905.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARLo E. Rron, a citizenof the United States, residing at Sheffield, in the county of Franklinand State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful improvements inTrousers Presser-s and Hang ers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to trouser pressers and particularly tothosedevices which engage the opposite folds of a pair of trousers and holdthe trousers creased and pressed.

The main object of my invention is to provide a very simple, cheaplyconstructed device of this character which will engage the trouser legsat each crease and hold thetrouser legs in a creased or folded conditionso that the trousers will be supported for nearly their entire lengthinstead of only at the ends of the trousers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which will notonly compress the creases of the trouser legs but which will act tolaterally expand the trouser legs. thus taking out any wrinkling orbagging of the trousers.

Still another object is to provide a device which will expandautomatically to eX- tend the trouser legs and which is adapted to beused upon trouser legs having various vidths. 7

Still another object is to provide a device of this character which maybe folded into a very small compass so that it may be readily placed ina trunk or satchel.

' Other-objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 hanger constructed in accordance with my invention showing itin its open position; Fig. 2 is a like view to Fig. 1, but showing thehanger as applied to a pair of trousers; Fig. 3 is an elevation showingthe hanger folded or closed; Fig. 4i is a section on the line of Fig. 2;Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to these figures, 10 designates longitudinally extendingStI'lPS of steel or other suitable material from 30 to 88 inches I inlength. These strips may be of any suitable thickness and from =1- of aninch to 3 inches in width. Hingedly connected to the strips 10 are thestrips 11 which are also is an elevation of a trouser drawing.

of steel andhave the same length and width as the strips 10. The strips11 are hingedly connected each to one of the strips 10 by any suitablemeans, but preferably bymeans of the rings 12, these rings being of aspecial value means for hinged-1y connecting the strips 10 and 11 forthe reason that they permit the strips 11 to be spaced various distancesfrom the strips 10 so that one or more pairs of trousers maybeaccommodated in the device.

The strips 10 are pivotallyconnected to links 13 by means of countersunkrivets 14. There are two pairs of the links 13 disposed adjacent theends of the strips 10. Each pair of links is pivotally connected to amember 15, these members 15 being connected to each other preferably bymeans of a. coiled spring 16. The spring 16 is of course under tension,the distance between the upper members 13 and lower members 13 beinggreater than thelength of the spring when the latter is fullycontracted. As a consequence, assuming that the hanger 17 is supported,the spring 16 is always urging the lower member 15 upward. As aconsequence, this will tend to draw upward on the lower links 13,expanding these linksv to a greater extent than the upper links 17 areexpanded, provided the spring 16 has sufficient strength. ()f-coursewith a weak. spring this would not occur. To the member 15 is attached ahanger 17 looped or hooked at its upper end so that it may be hung up onany suitable support. Pivotally con nected to the strips 10 aresupporting strips 18 which have a suiiicient length so that when thestrips 11' are opened out as in Fig.

2, the strips 18'will extend beyond them,.

and pivotally mounted upon the extremities of these strips 18 are thespring clamps 19.

Each clamp is pivoted to a strip 18 and may be rotated so as to engageover the strips 10 and 11 when they are folded together as in Fig. 2, orturned to each side to permit the strips to be opened as in Fig. 1.

The, action of this improved trouser.

hanger and 'presser v is obvious from the The trousers are placedbetween the strips 10 and 11 and thestrips 11 are then bent over uponthe trousers so that the strips 10 and 11 form oppositely disposedclamps extending nearly the entire length of the trousers and clampingdown upon the creases of the trouser legs. The spring-clips composed ofthe parts 18 and 19 are then applied upon the strips and hold themtightly in engagement with the trousers. The device is then hung up andthe weight of the trousers will cause the outer ends of the links 13 tomove downward thus expanding the trouser clamps formed by the members 10and 11 and stretching the trousers laterally. Inasmuch as the lowerlinks 13 are connected by means of a relatively strong spring 16 to theupper links 13 there will be a greater tendency to expand on the part ofthe lower links and as a consequence the clamps will expand more attheir lower ends than at their upper ends. Thus the clamps will take aposition conforming to the out of the trousers. If the member 16 wererigid the clamping members 10 and 11 could only expand at their lowerends the same distance that they expanded at their upper ends, but thisis obviated by the use of the spring 16. It will be seen that the wholeweight of the trousers will act to expand the clamping members andtighten the trousers laterally. When out of use the hanger and pressermay be folded into a very small compass as illustrated in Fig. 3. Themembers 11 are folded over upon the members 10, the links 13 are foldedup into parallel relation with the members 10 and 11 and the Wholedevice is thus rendered very compact so that it may be readily placed ina trunk or satchel. It will be seen that my device will automaticallypress and keep in shape anywhere from one to six pairs of trousers andcan be made of steel, wood or any other suitable material. There isnothing to break and get out of order, and as a conse quence it willlast indefinitely, and as it can be folded very compactly and carried ina trunk it is convenientto travelers. It may be painted, enameled ornickel-plated and is automatically and instantly adjusted to any sizetrousers. While the device is particularly suitable and peculiarlydesigned for use in stretching and hanging trousers, it can be used tostretch tidies, curtains or other material having a definite width.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A trouser stretcher and hanger including laterally disposed trouserclamps, links pivotally connected to the clamps, a connection betweensaid links whereby they may have simultaneous movement, and a hangeroperatively connected to the upper end of said connection.

2.111 a trouser hanger, oppositely disposed longitudinally extendingparallel clamping members each comprising parallel strips, the membersof each pair of strips being hingedly connected to each other by mossesmeans of a plurality of rings passing through perforations in the stripsand disposed in planes at right angles to the plane of the strips, aresilient clamping member pivotally mounted upon one of each pair ofstrips and adapted to be turned into or out of engagement with thecorresponding strip of the pair and a hanger operatively engaging saidpairs of strips.

3. A trouser hanger and stretcher of the character described comprisingoppositely disposed parallel pairs of clamping strips hingedly connectedto each other, upper and lower pairs of links pivotally connected to oneof said strips and to each other, and a hanger operatively connected tothe adjacent pivotal ends of both pairs of links.

4-. A trouser stretcher and hanger of the character described includingoppositely disposed pairs of trouser-engaging strips, the members ofeach pair of strips being hingedly connected to each other by means ofrings passing through perfortions in the strips, a plurality of pairs oflinks pivotally connected to one of the strips of each pair and to eachother, and a hanger operatively connected to all of said links, andspring clamps adapted to force the clamping strips toward each other.

5. A device of the character described including oppositely disposedpairs of clamping strips, the strips of each pair being hingedlyconnected to each other. means for detachably holding the strips of eachpair in clamping relation upon a pair of trousers, upper and lower pairsof links each pivotally connected to one of the strips of each pair andpivotally connected to each other, a coiled spring operativelyconnecting the conjoined ends of the upper links with the conjoined endsof the lower links, and a hanger operatively connected to the conjoinedends of the upper pair of links.

6. In a trouser hanger and presser, oppositely disposed parallel pairsof trouser clamping strips hingedly connected to each other, linksattached to one strip of each pair of strips and pivotally connected toeach other, a hanger operatively connected to the conjoined ends of saidlinks, supporting strips pivotally connected to one of said trouserclamping strips, and a. clamping spring pivotally mounted upon each ofsaid hanger strips and adapted to force the pairs of clamping stripsinto clamping engagement on a pair of trousers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ARLO E. RICE.

Witnesses:

J. H. SIEWERT, L. B. OARHART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

